First part of information on gangs this month, plus HbA1c units compared, last bit on orthopaedic feet, a warning about phenytoin overdose and a couple of links to good relevant courses. Do leave comments below:

March 2015: the first post of the new ENT feature this month – glue ear, more help with viral exanthems, important safeguarding information on the UK government’s Prevent Strategy, breastfeeding for mums and research in the paediatric ED.

Delayed sleep phase this month and chronotherapy which sounds like quite an undertaking. Also a link to a new parent’s guide to picking up and talking about sexual abuse, links to handy recent uploads to the site, the BSACI guideline on allergic rhinitis and more banging on about vitamin D supplementation – please.

A timely reminder of an albeit old guideline on otitis media this month, continuation of our minor injuries series and introduction to a new series on sleep disorders. Also a link to a new Whipps “1st afebrile fit” guideline and a bit of background on hypospadias.

Do you know your valgus from your varus? Or your myclonic epilepsy from your sleep myoclonus? A link this month to new asthma patient information leaflets and some reminders of NICE’s “Do not do recommendations” in feverish children. Also the BSACI egg allergy guideline. Do leave comments on any of these topics below.

This month’s emergency department version of Paediatric Pearls has information on dehydration from the NICE guideline on gastroenteritis in the under 5s, a bit on seizures and the evidence behind our reluctance to let you request chest x-rays for children. I’ve featured the NICE guideline on antibiotics for respiratory illness in primary care too as they are also relevant for the children we see in EUCC and the Emergency Department. I hope you find it helpful; I think the average length of time for each infection is useful information to be able to hand on to parents. Download December’s Paediatric Pearls here.

September brings us tinea capitis, epilepsy and a reminder that antibiotics are not generally indicated for children presenting with wheeze. Please do send in your comments, requests and questions. Download the September edition here.

The emergency department version of September’s Paediatric Pearls reminds us of the NICE guideline for antipyretic use, the 2004 guideline on the epilepsies and the current recommendations from the British Association of Dermatologists on management of tinea capitis. Download it here.

‘A febrile seizure usually occurs between 3 months and 5 years of age, associated with fever but without evidence of intracranial infection or defined cause for the seizure’. NIH, USA
Most febrile seizures are generalised tonic clonic (GTCS), but fever can provoke other types of fits. Continue reading →